


One Step Forward

by HisLadyshipTheFangirl



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: But mostly angst, Fluff and Angst, Frostcup - Freeform, Hijack, JacCup, M/M, This is a weird one, and i was feeling angsty, and thinking about walking through the city alone, and this popped up, because i saw a kid like one time, but not really, my hope, oh well, the idea came from real life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 06:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4510515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HisLadyshipTheFangirl/pseuds/HisLadyshipTheFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just a random kid! One that walked down the sidewalk every day. at the same time. with a bag of food. He looked lonely, and i wanted to cheer him up. So i kind of started stalking him?<br/>Modern AU with specific themes of poverty and urban decay<br/>To P, with love</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Forward

**Author's Note:**

> this is angst. so much angst. it feels good.

“Huh.”  
“What’s up mom?” Jack asked. He had heard that noise a thousand times before, and it meant “i’m going to point out something I think is strange and you’ll think is normal.”   
“Well, have you ever seen that kid before?”  
As if on cue, the light turned green and Jack’s mom drove forward. “The one with the pizza box, walking on my side.”  
Jack looked at him as they passed. Some scrawny kid, probably younger than Jack, was making his way along the street in the same direction. His long brown hair was blowing all around his face, but he kept walking like he didn’t notice it.   
“I mean, he’s a kid, and he’s walking. I’ve seen a thousand people like that.”  
Jack’s mom elbowed him, causing him to chuckle. “I mean at school or around town, that specific kid.”  
“No, can’t say that I have.” Jack said as his mom turned onto their street. Passing the houses they stopped at theirs, a small, blue bungalow and a front yard with bushes and scraggly shrubs. Jack smiled. It wasn’t much, but it was home to him and he wouldn’t have it any other way.   
As he helped his mom carry in the enormous pile of groceries they had just bought, his mind wandered back to the kid that was walking along the street. “I mean he’s just a kid right? Some random kid walking along with a box of pizza. Why are you overthinking this?” Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead, then got back to putting the groceries away.   
The next time they saw the kid, they were coming back from Goodwill two days later. They turned onto the boulevard, and he was walking again, in the same direction as last time, albeit with a bag from burger king.   
“There’s that kid again.” Jack’s mom said, her eyes only flicking over for a second before they settled back on the road. “I wonder what he’s up to?”  
“My ancient and mysterious powers of deduction tell me he is a boy getting dinner.”  
“Jack, you know what I mean… He always walks alone.”  
“Maybe he likes walking alone? I don’t know, I just think you’re reading into this a lot more than is needed.”  
“You’re probably right.” Jack’s mom said as they passed the kid. And although he had just admonished his mom for talking about the mysterious boy, he still looked up and stared as they passed.   
After that, If it was around 6 and they were going home, They would always see the same boy. Sometimes he was walking towards town, sometimes he was walking back from it. But he always seemed to be going to get fast food. Whenever Jack saw him with a bag or box from one of the many places around town, he felt strange. There was a happiness, but also a sadness and a curiosity, a burning curiosity. Every time his mother made some comment, and every time Jack responded with feigned disinterest.  
When school started, Jack looked for the boy in the high school, even asked a few people, but nobody seemed to know who he was talking about.   
Why was Jack so concerned with a boy that he’s only ever seen through a layer of glass for a few seconds? He refused to allow the kid to occupy his thoughts, refused to acknowledge that he was incredibly interested in the mysterious kid.   
Three years passed, and things kept changing. Jack’s hair was now bleached pure white, and he had grown a fair bit. Last week, he had gotten his drivers license. And of course, as he was driving back from the grocery store alone, he saw the kid. He had grown taller, but was still lanky and awkward. Today, he was carrying a bag of burgers. As Jack’s car passed him, the kid looked up and their eyes locked for a split second. Sapphire met emerald and the world stopped. Then he had passed, his eyes were back on the road, and Jack was feeling more confused than ever.   
As he was taking in the groceries with his sister, he decided that he would do a bit of investigating. I mean, it’s not like he was stalking the boy or anything, right? All he would do is drive down the main street at the same time each day, and see if the boy was there. Totally not stalkerish.   
Thus, the next evening found Jack driving down LaGrange Road in hopes to find him. Jack was not disappointed. There he was walking down the street. He was also there the next day, and the day after that.   
Friday rolled around, and Jack had seen the kid every day, 5 days in a row. He was fully aware that this was an obsession, and he honestly didn’t care right now because the boy was missing.   
Jack had been driving up and down the street for half an hour, with no hint of the strange boy. He finally drove home, and when he got inside went up to his room. Laying down on his bed, he sighed and covered his eyes with his arm.  
“This is unhealthy.” He thought. “It’s some random kid you’ve never even talked to, you’re basically stalking him, and now he doesn’t show up one day and you freak out. This is so not okay…” Jack groaned, and flipped onto his side. “Okay, think rationally. Yesterday, Yesterday he had a pizza! I mean, it looks like he’s only bringing food for two, so a pizza could last for a few meals… Maybe there wasn’t any need for him to go out! Yeah, i’m sure he’s fine. And i’m also sure that i’m not a stalker if I just go to see how he’s doing tomorrow. And yes, i’m well aware that I am actually a stalker and this is not a good idea. Where’s the damn controller?”  
Ah, drowning your sorrows in Assassin’s Creed. Always a good idea.   
Saturday came, and Jack once again found himself going to get groceries for the family. Was it weird that his mother was getting more use out of his driver’s license than he was? Then again, it was a valid excuse to see the boy again, and as Jack was driving to the grocery store there he was, alive and whole. Jack breathed a sigh of relief, and noticed the kid was going into Burger King. Jack was stopped by a red light, and immediately had an idea. A very bad, maybe get arrested idea. “This is beyond unhealthy why would you even have an idea like that good thing you’re not stupid enough to OH and would you look at that we’re in the Burger King parking lot!”  
Jack got out of his car and shook his head, but went inside anyways. He got right in line behind the mysterious boy, and slowly moved through.   
After about two minutes of waiting, the boy’s head turned back and again, green eyes met blue. Both looked like deer caught in headlights. Now Jack, he didn’t blush much. And when he did, it was a very light pink, of which he was sure was being displayed on his cheeks at that moment. But this kid turned the brightest red Jack had ever seen. Seriously, he was making the ketchup look bad. And Jack snickered.   
The boy’s head snapped back immediately and from what Jack could see he was biting the side of his finger. Well, Jack had never been one for shyness. he reached out and tapped   
“Hey… I don’t come here often. So is the chicken sandwich good?”  
The boy startled, and turned again to look at Jack. Jack just smiled, and the boy seemed to calm down.   
"Honestly? Cardboard is more moist and has a better flavor."  
"Hah, thanks for the warning."  
The boy smiled, and Jack stuck out his hand. I'm Jackson Overland, but I prefer Jack.  
The boy looked at the hand before taking it and shaking it. "Henrick, but call me Hiccup."  
"Hiccup huh?" What Jack was thinking was "finally a name other than the mysterious boy."  
"It's ah, just something that stuck from childhood.”   
Jack smiled even wider, and a mischievous gleam entered his eyes.   
"What do you mean from childhood? We're kids! We have some childhood left!  
Hiccup turned back to the register and said "not really."  
At that moment, both boys were called up to registers. Hiccup was putting in his order, and Jack looked at him and said "let me prove it to you."  
Turning back to the register, he declared in the most pompous voice he could,  
"One chicken nugget kids meal with a chocolate shake, and if you have the purple toy that's the one I'm missing.”  
Jack then placed his hands on his hips and struck a pose.   
Hiccup stared at Jack, then burst out laughing. The poor kid was gripping the counter to balance himself he was laughing so hard. Jack was mirroring Hiccup, and both cashiers looked decidedly unamused.  
“Oh it hurts… it hurts.” Hiccup managed to get out between giggles and wheezes.  
“Well, i do my best to please.” Jack said, looking smug. He could tell that it had been a while since Hiccup had truly laughed.   
After they had finally calmed down and ordered, they stepped off to the side and continued to chat.   
“I was actually going to pick up groceries for my mom.”  
“So you were going to get food, but you stopped here?”  
“Well… um, sometimes you just get a taste for something greasy you know?” Jack said, smiling and thinking “Awesome coverup is awesome.”  
“Oh… I’m sorry that I held you up…” Hiccup said, looking genuinely sad.  
“What, no! You didn’t hold me up, you saved me from the horrors of a badly prepared sandwich! I should be groveling at your feet!” That got Hiccup to crack a smile at least.  
“Wow… You’re kind of a dork, you know that?”  
“You’re one to talk.”  
“Oh please… You’re just in awe. There’s so much awesome locked up in here you can’t- Hiccup stopped speaking and stared at Jack. His face crumpled, and he turned around and grabbed the food off the counter, then ran out of the restaurant.  
“Shit, what did I do?” Jack muttered. in a few seconds his meal came up, and he grabbed the bag and ran out. Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. Jack sighed and walked to his car. Sitting down in the drivers seat, he tossed the bag of food onto the other seat and leaned back.   
“Well, at least he laughed today.” Jack said to himself. Starting the car up, he pulled out of his parking space and onto LaGrange. “He needs a friend. I just happen to be awesome at fulfilling that role. It’s a perfectly normal thing.” Jack continued to mutter to himself all the way to the grocery store.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, i don't like to beg, but i really need comments on this one. even if it's just i liked it, or i didn't like it, please let me know! I really don't like how i ended this chapter, but I wanted to start writing the second chapter.


End file.
